He went on to win the Speed Driver of the Year award that same year. in the closest side-by-side race in Funny Car history! In 2001, he would eclipse Bob Glidden's record of 10 series championships with his 11 th win.Īnother memorable event from the Texas Motorplex’s rich history was Greg Anderson’s second consecutive NHRA Pro Stock win in 2004, becoming the first driver in NHRA history to accomplish this in such a short time. On the same day, John Force secured his 9 th championship title in the NHRA's Funny Car category by defeating his opponent Tommy Johnson Jr. On October 23, 1999, Top Fuel racer Tony Schumacher won his first national event at the Motorplex, going on to win his first NHRA championship title later that year. Nine years later, on October 19, 1997, Cory McClenathan broke the 320 mph speed barrier, setting the track ablaze and reaching a top speed of 321.77 mph, a new NHRA national record. This was the first time anyone had achieved this monumental task. Only two years after Darrell, Eddie Hill eclipsed his run, breaking the 5-second barrier with an outstanding 4.990-second pass on April 9, 1988. It also became the first facility to establish a permanent VIP Hospitality structure, originally known as the Top Eliminator Club and later the Champion's Club. In 1987, the Texas Motorplex became the first non-NHRA owned facility to host multiple national events and the only track to host a hall of fame. He broke the 5.3-second barrier with an astonishing pass of 5.261 seconds, securing the honorary title of 'fastest racer in NHRA history!' That's not all he also broke the 275 mph speed barrier by reaching a top speed of 278.55 mph.

The design and finish were phenomenal, and Darrell Gwynn took to the track in 1986 to make his mark in its history.

In 1986, construction began with a plan to create the first post-tension, all-concrete, stadium-style, quarter-mile facility designed particularly for drag racing. This 1/4 mile drag racing facility was constructed in 1986 and was granted the honor of being recognized as the first super track by the NHRA (National Hot Rod Association.) It has been home to some of the greatest record-breaking performances.īilly Meyer, a former Funny Car driver, would break ground to build the first NHRA super track after signing an agreement in 1985 to host an event the following year. The Texas Motorplex is located about 40 miles south of Dallas in Ennis, Texas.

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